Fire Watch program; helping veterans, first responders cope with trauma
The Brief
A new virtual program is helping veterans and first responders cope with trauma.
The Fire Watch program is available at Rogers Behavioral Health.
FOX6 News spoke with a peer specialist who is, himself, recovering from trauma after military service.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - Veterans and emergency responders are often first to run into the line of fire. Now, a new virtual program is giving them support to work through the trauma.
What we know
When veteran Chris Swift came back from serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said he had to learn some lessons the hard way.
"Some people are like, 'Oh, tell me some cool stories.' Well, they're not always cool stories. They don't understand all the stuff that goes along with it," Swift said. "I drank a lot when I came back. I ended up getting three DUIs. I went to rehab at the VA for about four months, then I went to jail for about seven months."
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Swift said he is now six years sober. He is also a peer specialist for the Fire Watch program at Rogers Behavioral Health. The goal of the program is to provide help and mental health support for veterans and first responders. The program first launched in September 2024.
What they're saying
"We can do a wide variety of things within this program. We focus on moral injury, but moral injury can come in a lot of different forms. And we can see it come across as anxiety or depression," said Jennifer Parra-Nelson, Clinical Director of Trauma Services & Fire Watch program.
Moral injury is the guilt and shame that can come from trauma. The VA defines it as "the distressing psychological, behavioral, social, and sometimes spiritual aftermath of exposure to such events. A moral injury can occur in response to acting or witnessing behaviors that go against an individual's values and moral beliefs."
Organizers said addressing that is an important part of the eight-week, 100% virtual program. Participants go through therapy, learn practical coping mechanisms, and connect with others going through the same thing.
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"We've seen a lot seen a lot of patients come in just with a lot of stigma. And with a lot of possibly thinking that maybe this won't work for them. And I think we've seen a lot of people be surprised that we are very accessible to this population," Parra-Nelson said.
Swift said his goal is to help others who were in his shoes – for their sake and the sake of their loved ones.
What you can do
Learn much more about the Fire Watch program and how it might be able to help someone you love. Program organizers said insurance covers the Fire Watch program. Medicaid is also accepted.
The Source
The information in this post was provided, in part, by Rogers Behavioral Health.
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